JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a few weeks away, celest-interim.fr and [Redirect-302] she’s for jobs.constructionproject360.com the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she participated in a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of work in numerous industries, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to answer employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to learn what type of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a “quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,” Handoe stated, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals learn about profession chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “developing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their employing practices, Handoe stated.

“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later on down the roadway,” he stated.

That preparation work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

“You need to go into a hiring reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He discussed that attendees ought to identify the business they desire to speak with and research them ahead of time, to permit for educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and spoke to some recruiters. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, supremecarelink.com she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.